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Do I foil the Brisket or not?

Wanabe
Wanabe Posts: 355
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have a brisket on as I write. The question is to foil or not?

Comments

  • I have cooked numerous briskets with terrific results and have never foiled. I generally pull them at around 185 internal temp.
  • Wanabe
    Wanabe Posts: 355
    I was going to pull them at 200, thinks that's to long?
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Danny, 195° - 200° - use a fork to check tenderness. I can tell how tender meat is when I put the thermopen into the meat. When there is no or very little resistance the cook is done.

    Also, remember the meat temp is going to rise during the rest period.

    When I first got my large I had the same question about foiling with butts. Thirdeye told me to foil (tent) if the bark seemed to be developing too much.

    I have followed the butt advice with my brisket cooks - for me it depends on how the bark is developing.

    Kent
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    cook til tender, not by temps, i start checking around 190 as some places will read higher and lower with the thermapen. you do want to foil and rest in a cooler after the cook, the decision for foiling earlier is your discretion, with those i would foil one earlier and compare, they are pretty thin looking to me
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Fishlessman,

    I am always finding brisket about that thin. I have seen some thicker packers but I am not sure how much fat is in those thicker cuts.

    GG
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    must be the cuts my butcher gets, pretty much no fat, around 8 pounds plus a flat, but look about 50 percent thicker than those
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Lerxst
    Lerxst Posts: 17
    I foil my briskets at 165 with a small amount of beef broth. Always come out tender with no real bark loss. See my 6.5 lber that I have cooking now in my thread below. It's been on for about 5 hours and is at 151. Probably hit 165 in 90 minutes or so. Then in to foil until 195.

    That's just me. YMMV.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    So far around here Walmart is the only place I can get packers. Most of them the flat is about what wanabe pictures looked like.

    I need to do some more searching.

    GG
  • I've had good succes with foil at 160-165 and a cup of apple juice. Cook to 195-200 internal and then into a cooler with towels for 1-3 hours.
  • I find the briskets I have foiled were juicier than the ones I did not foil. After it gets thru the plateau stage (usually around 160 to 165 degrees) I foil it and let it roll til at least 195.
  • I think 200 is a little too high. How long are you going to keep it warm before serving wrapped in the foil? 190 is my target normally. If you add some liquid to the drip pan that will help also.

    I have had excellent results with no foil and a short wrap after the cook in saran wrap for about 20 minutes. I found that wrapping in foil and leaving it in a cooler tends to dry the meat out, even with the beef broth and apple juice added.

    I think the post about wrapping on and not the other would be a good test though since they appear the same size.

    Let us know how it comes out..

    Kevin
    Pepper Pilot.